When people begin an online business, they dream of watching the money roll in as they sip margaritas while lazing in a hammock in a tropical paradise–in essence, the cover of Tim Ferriss’ 4-Hour Work Week.
But success doesn’t come from 4-hour work weeks. At least, not at first. And possibly not ever, especially since the term “work” is no longer even meaningful. There is just life, and much of it is spent working on something, but for us work-at-home warriors, the distinction between activities related to “work” and everything else has been eliminated. So, technically, it’s not 4-hour work weeks or even 40-hour work weeks.
It’s more like 400-hour work weeks.
The 400 Hour Work Week
Math isn’t my strong suit but I’m pretty sure I’ve worked 400 a week before. Don’t ask me how.
By most rights I’m a success as I define it (which has nothing to do with margaritas or fancy cars or any of that bullshit). I say most because right now I don’t have the freedom to do what I want when I want. I have created constraints to which I’m bound. I have obligations to fulfill.
I’m too busy to write daily blog posts, spend hours at a time on Twitter, get enough sleep, clean the house (ugh) or take enough of a break away from the computer to let my screaming Carpal Tunnel pain die down.
Success is not all it’s cracked up to be, in other words.
In yet other words, be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it!
I’m telling you this because if you’re reading my blog and following me on social media and you’re not yet where I am, chances are you’re thinking you would love to have this “problem.” Being so in demand, oh, whatEVER will I do? This is terrible!
Right.
No, of course it’s not terrible, but it must be dealt with and managed. I’m sharing this with you because when you reach this point you’ll have some ideas about what to do and also because it’s going to affect what you get from me on the blog and in social media.
Get your GTD outta my CRM
Please do not suggest any software, systems, or other “efficiency” or “productivity” crap, even though I know you mean well. After having a great talk with my life coach I have come to realize that I am a creatively messy non-systems person. Not one single CRM tool has survived me and I have tried just about everything there is (no, really, including many you probably haven’t heard of). I need personal down time or I can’t function worth a damn. If you want The Awesome, my phasers gotta recharge.
People, not Systems
What I need is a person who is organized in ways that I’m not and who can do those tasks I procrastinate on or which slip through the cracks of my absent-minded professor’s brain. I’ve reached the point where I can’t do this alone and will be looking to hire a virtual assistant. That should ease things up a bit. If you have any recommendations, I’d love to hear them.
Cutting Back & Guest Blogging
After this announcement post I’m cutting back on posting to only twice a week (Wednesday and Saturday), and putting the Link Journeys posts on hiatus for the foreseeable future. If you want awesome links, follow me on Twitter. In addition, I’m on the lookout for guest bloggers who can write insightful and personal lessons. I want people with personality, whose voice I would recognize even if their name were removed from the article. If that’s you, drop me a line.
Only 3 Coaching Spots Left
At this point I can only take on 3 more blog coaching clients and then I will be maxed out. If you’ve been on the fence about working with me, now is the time. I’ve switched to a monthly retainer model that delivers outstanding value for the investment and I haven’t even had time to change my services page before I got booked nearly solid. So if you want more info on that, contact me.
So Worth It
Success takes it toll but to me it will always be worth it. No way would I ever go back to having a regular jobby-job (thanks, Snoop, for that word, I will never forget it–and yes, I’m talking to Snoop directly because does in fact read my blog… at least, I’m pretty sure he does).
I hope you have these problems, someday, too. 
Image by vintagedept
That sounds like a great great plan Michael. I know too much lifeless assistance sucks and at the end it comes like “we” have to manage everything; could have done that earlier without those systems which are supposed to help
Well, I might pop in a guest post quite soon
Sure, Jane, send me something and I’ll take a look at it.
Thanks for your
comment.
Wow that Life Coach dude sounds cool!
Seriously though man, I think this is a great move if only to see what happens over the summer. More is less sometime ya know!
Absolutely. Never a dull moment!
Hi Michael –
I’m battling some of the same issues, but see light at the end of the tunnel. I was up to nearly daily weekday posts at one point and now I’ve made the same decision — mostly twice a week, and using a paid guest post for a third entry each week. I’m aiming to reclaim the old quality of life this summer!
Carol that’s awesome, good for you! I think I need a gate-keeper for my
inbox, though and someone to remind me of stuff. The old-fashioned idea of a
secretary, really. A virtual assistant. We’ll see how it goes!
Having connected with you almost two years ago, I’m so glad you’re doing well. But I totally get how hard you – one? – has to work to reap the results.
I’ve been thinking about this lately too in relation to my own work. It’s tough to keep a coaching practice humming, at the same time as building online presence and putting work in the pipeline. The biggest challenge for work/life queen me is how to get the results you need and have a life. Maybe I’ll think about that more and pitch a post at you, if you’re up for that?
Your guest post is welcome any time, my dear!
I heard it said by many that if you really want to succeed you can basically
kiss your free time and your family and your lover goodbye. I would like to
think it’s not quite that brutal. Most of the time I am perfectly happy to
spending my time on this. I want to be doing this. But in order to be my
best I can’t burn myself out.
I think my goals and definition of success change monthly, perhaps weekly. Are you the same? Or do you have a single definition?
My overall goals have, and probably will, always remain the same. Strangely the word “rich” isn’t in any of them
I just want to be able to do what I want, when I want to. I don’t want to do
crazy expensive things, so being rich is not part of it. Having enough to do
what I like is all I need. Making a difference and having fun are part of
it.
Awesome post! I just laugh when I thought that I could start out on my own and have more “freedom”. What a load of crappola! I’m up working until 1 in the morning wayyyy more than I want. But I did just go to the the pool for 2 hours in the middle of the afternoon with my kids. Of course that means I’ll be up until 1
Great work on pulling back on all that you are doing -which is a lot! Good to do that before the breakdown rather than after
We all make trade-offs. For each of us, there are certain things we’re not
willing to trade and if we have those we call it freedom. “Close enough” as
they say.
I don’t think anybody who is “self employed” ever works normal hours, we’re always the ones up till stupid o’clock, both through choice and necessity.
Sometimes you’ve gotta pull back to get more of what you want (need).
Good luck on your freedom wrangling mission
You’re absolutely right, Jackie. On the plus side, though? Naps!
I sold my advertising business in the UK some years ago and fulfilled my dream of buying the most important commodity in the world – Time! And yes it was and is fantastic, but somehow I can’t keep away from the business of marketing and especially internet marketing, to the point where the time I spend on it has crept up and up. Some of your posts may have encouraged this and for this I will never forgive you. At least it’s a lot more interesting business than it used to be.
Feel free to blame me for anything you like if it makes you feel better.
And yup, it’s more interesting that it used to be and is only growing.
I enjoyed reading this post.
You got to be one of the few people who recognize that GTD and 4HWW simply doesn’t work with everyone. The one size fits all solutions really don’t work with creative folks.
All the best with the new approach
One thing that helps is to realize there’s nothing wrong with you. Focus on
your strengths and stop worrying about the “shoulds.” Shoulds are deadly.
What really makes people change habits is when what they associate with
pleasure and pain changes. Implementing someone else’s system won’t make
that happen. A good life coach with NLP training can help with that, but you
can do it on your own if you’re aware of it. That’s how I quit World of
Warcraft but then got back into it on my own terms successfully.
Yeah I hear you loud and clear, bud. And it’s hard not to get frustrated sometimes when you’re trying to work because you know you have a HUGE amount of things to do and no one in the family seems to respect that.
I have found that because I work from home, family members don’t treat my “job” as if I was at work. But in a way that’s okay because that’s part of the fun being able to work from home… but sometimes it can really put you behind and get a little frustrating.
What has helped me get some of my “ideas” in motion was to do like you said, hire a virtual assistant. Actually though, she’s not my virtual assistant, more like an employee. She’s my web design and graphics girl. She works for me 8 hours a day with a 1 hour lunch break.
My next hire will be a writer. With a writer and web designer at my disposal I should be able to greatly increase my production.
Like most people here, I’d love to submit an article to you… let me just square up a few things first though so like you, I’m ready. Good luck Michael on your new reorganization.
For me it’s not so much family distractions as just household chores go
undone for too long. I’ve started taking little work breaks where I do
something around the house as a way to take a break from sitting at the
computer.
Glad to hear you’re doing well with your hiring and best of luck to you in
the future. Your guest post is welcome any time, no rush.
Yeah I have that same issue, too. The funny thing is I just did that this morning. I take a 5 minute break every 25 minutes and between the first two breaks (10 minutes total) I did the dishes.
My wife has this thing about not doing the dishes, so I guess it’s up to me until our children are old enough to put to work hehe.
G’Day Michael,
I’ve been there, seen him, done that. And I’ve also lost it all too. So, good for you mate. Frankly, I’m sick and tired of the “do it my way” and “one size fits all” gurus.
I don’t mind people telling me how to run my business. But my life’s mine. I also happen to believe that old fashioned notion that there is dignity in a job well done.
And why on earth would you want a ranch in Montana, an apartment in Paris, a beach house in the Bahamas and a yacht in a marina in San Diego? There’s a lot of travel involved and it’s a lot to worry about too.
Last weekend I saw a program on local TV about the homestead cheese producers of your home state, Vermont. To be able to afford all that good stuff would really be worth working for!
Hang loose and have fun,
Regards
Leon
Yes and some of the best cheese in the world is made here. I do love it!
You rock! Working 400 hours a week is also pretty darn cool.
I have spent some tome pondering this recently, especially how it relates to my hobby/part time job. It has been tricky to continue working two jobs at once, and building my profile in the blogosphere is very time consuming. These challenges make one think, but I suppose that’s what drives the human race onward and upward!
Yeah, and I’ve been there. For years I worked full time as built up
Remarkablogger. It makes you prioritize.
Michael, congrats on your being-in-demand problem — and on your plan to protect your downtime. I can relate to that very well: I absolutely must have time to play, goof off, veg out, whatever…otherwise, I cannot function. If I don’t have me-time, I accomplish nothing, I get surly, and I start viewing lifetheuniverseandeverything through a lens that is dreary, vicious, and very much not me.
But I’m not commenting to talk about me. I’m commenting to say that I empathize, and I applaud your courage in setting this kind of boundary. It’s not always the easiest thing to do — and I think that if more people set such boundaries, this world would be a brighter place.
See you on Twitter (and email). : )
Thanks, Courtney. I agree, you’re not worth much to people when you’re just
in a foul mood from overwhelm. You hear it so many times but until you live
it, it just never really clicks: you have to learn to say no.
Glad to have run into your Blog. I gotta say I feel like I would be wasting my life if I worked for someone else. Owning a business it stressful and you work way more hours than a traditional job but there is nothing more rewarding! Thank you for sharing your insight Michael!
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